Journey West for adventure

Coming from Hobart?

Your journey from Hobart to Strahan takes you through some of the most amazing country in Tasmania. Be prepared for the length of time it takes to travel the Lyell Highway and give yourself at least 5 hours to make the full trip (without any stops along the way).
Also keep in mind that mobile phone coverage drops out through the mountains, so if you need to confirm bookings or make a call, please do so before you reach New Norfolk (30 minutes out of Hobart) or when you reach Queenstown (50 minutes to Strahan).
Please Note: Telstra is our main network on the West Coast.

Hamilton – 3.5 hours to Strahan
A quaint little town with bakery, antique shops and souvenirs. Glen Clyde House has licensed tea rooms, extensive craft gallery and open gardens.

Bronte Park Highland Village – 2.5 hours to Strahan
Just off the Lyell highway, in the heart of fishing country, Bronte Park offers accommodation and a restaurant. Excellent value. Great walks and fishing.

Lake St Clair and Derwent Bridge – halfway to Strahan
Lake St Clair National Park has an excellent visitor centre and cafe on the shores of the lake, and is a good place to stretch the legs on short or long walks.
There is a roadhouse providing petrol, snacks and drinks (great hamburgers). The Derwent Bridge Hotel also has a great bar and restaurant.
Visit ‘The Wall’, the history of the Central Highlands carved out of a wall of Huon Pine.

Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park
There are excellent walks along the Lyell Highway between Derwent Bridge and Queenstown:

• Franklin River Nature Walk – Boardwalk to the Franklin and Surprise rivers in a loop. Toilet facilities.
• Donaghy’s Hill Lookout – 40 minute return walk to a mountain saddle, offering 360 degree views of the Franklin River Valley.
• Nelson Falls – 15 minute return walk through the rainforest.

Queenstown – 50 minutes from Strahan
Be prepared for something completely different.
Predominantly a mining town which is developing a tourism industry with the redevelopment of the Abt Railway, Queenstown is the biggest town on the West Coast. Lyell Tours offers ‘above ground’ and underground tours of the Mt Lyell Copper Mine.
West Coast Wilderness Railway offers morning trips on the ‘Rack and Pinion’ railway along the Queen and King Rivers. There is an excellent walk or 4WD drive to the Bird River, Kelly Basin and the ghost town of Pillinger at the Southern end of Macquarie Harbour.

Coming from Launceston or Devonport?

Your journey from the north of the state to Strahan takes you through a myriad of small towns, many of which are worth a stop to look around. With Launceston 4.5 hours away, there is plenty of time to explore the interesting places you’ll pass through.

Cradle Mountain – 2.5 hours to Strahan
The Cradle Mountain National Park is well known for it’s short walks, day walks and overnight walks. There is a good visitor information centre and a variety of accommodation.
The Overland Track is one of the more famous walks and is a 5 day walk to Lake St Clair.

Burnie – 2.5 hours to Strahan
The Creative Paper Mill is Australia’s largest handmade paper-making production mill and is open weekdays, with tours twice a day.
The Lactos Cheese Factory is open weekdays for free cheese tastings.
Emu Valley Rhododendron Gardens and Annsleigh Gardens and Tea Rooms both have display gardens open at certain times of the year.

Tullah – 1.5 hours to Strahan
A tiny town on the shores of Lake Rosebery, offering canoeing, horse riding, windsurfing and bushwalking. The Tullah Lakeside Chalet has good accommodation and a restaurant.

Rosebery – 1 hour to Strahan
Just after Rosebery is a 3 hour return walk to Montezuma Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the state. The walk follows an old railway line and there is some spectacular scenery along the way.

Zeehan – half an hour to Strahan
A small mining town which is worth a visit.
The Gaiety Theatre is being restored and is rumoured to have featured Houdini and dame Nellie Melba in it’s heyday.
The Pioneer Memorial Museum has one of the best displays of gemstones and minerals in the world, and also encompasses a railway museum.

Trail Harbour and Granville Harbour, on the coast, are accessed via Zeehan.